KTSA: Report: TX Leads U.S. States In Medicare Waste

Report: TX Leads U.S. States In Medicare Waste

A new report from a government watchdog group shows Texas is the biggest Medicare money waster among all of the States.

“One of the big issues with Medicare is it wastes a tremendous amount of money” said Leslie Paige with Citizens Against Government Waste.

California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Florida rounded out the top five in the ranking of States based on how much money the group says is being wasted in each through the Medicare program.

Paige said all of that cash being wasted in each state is taking a toll on the program.

“It is 28% of the entire number of improper payments that we lose on an annual basis” Paige said, adding all of that lost money is pushing the system closer and closer to bankruptcy–at a faster and faster rate.

In fact, current projections show Medicare will go bust by 2028 if the current equation holds to form.

“It sounds like a long way–but it’s not that far” Paige said, adding “That’s two years earlier than earlier projections.”

The same report shows Utah wastes the least amount of money through the Medicare program.